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April 2029 tornado outbreak sequence
The April 2029 tornado outbreak sequence was a deadly four-day tornado outbreak sequence primarily affecting a region from the Southern Plains through the eastern Midwest. The outbreak included the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states. The tornado outbreak sequence lasted four days, from Tuesday, April 24th through Friday, April 27th. Meteorological synopsis Signs of a major tornado outbreak became evident up to a week prior to the first day of the outbreak. Starting on April 17th, multiple weather models (including the GFS and European models) began to depict a major tornado outbreak occurring in the region of Oklahoma and Missouri on the 24th. Consequently, the Storm Prediction Center issued a Day 7 outlook which included the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas. As the outbreak drew closer, the weather models began to depict a second storm forming over the Central Plains a day after the first storm moved into the Midwest. While there were concerns with respect to adequate moisture return in the wake of the first system, these concerns were quickly extinguished, and the SPC expected that two simultaneous tornado outbreaks would occur on April 25th: one over the eastern Midwest with the first storm system, and a second over the Southern Plains with a rapidly strengthening storm centered over Kansas. Notable tornadoes April 25 New Albany, Ohio This tornado initially touched down west of Harrisburg, rapidly strengthening and widening as it started to produce EF2 damage on the northwest side of Grove City. Just east of Urbancrest, the tornado started producing EF3 damage, including the tornado's first deaths on the south side of Columbus. Just before crossing I-71 south of Greenlawn Avenue, a toxic waste spill triggered by the EF3 tornado contaminates a small area of south Columbus near McCoy Park and the Lou Berliner Sports Park. Strengthening to an EF4 just west of Schiller Park, the tornado began leveling houses at the southern end of German Village. The neighborhood of Livingston Park was especially hard-hit, with 20 fatalities occurring in that neighborhood alone. Nationwide Children's Hospital took mostly EF3 damage. In spite of the destruction, it could have been worse; the tornado missed downtown Columbus by less than a mile. After causing destruction on the south side of Columbus, the city's east side then took damage, with EF4 damage continuing into Franklin Park. Further fatalities occurred here just as the tornado slams into the north side of Bexley, continuing to level homes along its path. At this point, EF4 damage continues as the tornado strikes the western end of John Glenn Columbus International Airport, where the tornado produced the first evidence of ground scouring at the western end of the airport's runways. However, the terminal itself did not receive any tornadic damage. After passing over the airport, the tornado then made a direct hit into the center of Gahanna, continuing to produce EF4 damage and destroying the neighborhoods between downtown Gahanna and the New Albany city line. At Creekway Court in the northernmost area of Gahanna, the tornado produces EF5 damage for the first time. Crossing into New Albany, the tornado struck the neighborhoods around the New Albany Country Club at EF5 intensity. Large homes were reduced to bare foundations and open basements. After hitting the New Albany Country Club area, the tornado reached a record width of 2.75 miles wide. This damage swath extended from just north of State Route 161 at the New Albany Road interchange all the way southeast to Kitzmiller Road near New Albany Farms and the Wexner Estate. Just as the tornado achieved this record width, a mobile radar positioned in western Licking County detected tornadic wind speeds as high as 350 mph just above ground level. These extreme winds went on to destroy the old center of New Albany, the Mount Carmel Hospital, and the Abercrombie & Fitch Home Office. Practically all buildings (including several multi-story structures like the Mount Carmel Hospital and the A&F Home Office) in the path of this "supertornado" were leveled completely to the ground. The extreme winds reduced slightly at Evans Road in the Clearcreek neighborhood, although EF5 damage continued to a point just east of the Licking County line. 52 deaths occur in the New Albany city limits, especially at the A&F Home Office (22 deaths) and the Mount Carmel Hospital (9 deaths, including 5 patients). As the tornado crossed into Licking County, it starts weakening slightly, although EF4 damage continued as far east as Clover Valley and Green Chapel Roads southwest of Johnstown. EF3 damage continued to the southwest side of Johnstown proper, where damage occurred to the Redwood neighborhood along with several buildings along Mink Street. EF2 damage then occurred at Johnstown-Monroe High School. Finally, at the Hillcrest Golf Course just northeast of Johnstown, the tornado begins to rope out, and it finally lifts NW of the intersection of U.S. Route 62 and Dutch Lane. The New Albany tornado goes down in U.S. history as the both the strongest and widest tornado on record. Note that this scenario is partially based on that seen here: https://hypotheticaltornadoes.fandom.com/wiki/Tornado_outbreak_of_April_23,_2020 Southlake, Texas This tornado first touched down in north Fort Worth, causing minor damage to two warehouses near the I-35W/I-820 interchange. It then rapidly strengthened and widened across the north Fort Worth suburbs, producing EF2 damage to homes and businesses west of U.S. Highway 377. Crossing into Watauga, the tornado strengthened to an EF3, tearing roofs and walls off of homes and schools in its path. After entering the northernmost portion of North Richland Hills, the tornado started producing EF4 damage at the intersection of Rufe Snow Drive and Ridgetop Road. The EF4 damage swath continued into Colleyville, just NW of McPherson Park. Around the same time, an anticyclonic rotation to the SE produces EF1 damage near State Highway 26 and Hall-Johnson Road. Upon entering Southlake near the intersection of Continental and White Chapel, the tornado strengthened into an EF5, leveling many well-built (and large) homes along its path down to their foundations. Shortly afterwards, the tornado achieved its maximum width of 1.5 miles, as it crossed the northern Timarron neighborhood. At roughly the same time, tragically 6 children in after-school activities at Rockenbaugh Elementary are killed, despite Carroll ISD's implementation of a safe room program. The tornado then roared into Southlake Town Square (an outdoor shopping mall) with the full fury of 250 mph winds, catching many shoppers off-guard. All in all, 10 people were killed at the Southlake Town Square. As the tornado crossed State Highway 114, 2 motorists were killed by the tornado's winds, just before the storm roared across the grounds of Gateway Church. Around the same time, EF3-to-EF4 damage hit Carroll Middle School, killing an additional 2 Carroll ISD students participating in after-school activities. In the Southlake Glen neighborhood, some of the worst damage took place; 3 residents were killed as their homes were completely leveled. The tornado then crossed into Grapevine city limits, producing a final bout of EF5 damage along Panhandle Drive and Mesa Verde Drive, just before EF4 damage hit the Grapevine Fire Department's Station 2 on Dove Road. The tornado continued producing EF4 damage to neighborhoods in northern Grapevine, adjacent to Grapevine Lake and Oak Grove Park. After crossing the eastern portion of Grapevine Lake, EF4 damage occurred at the Grapevine Recreational Area just prior to the tornado leaving the Grapevine city limits. The tornado then clipped the SE corner of Flower Mound, destroying warehouses at EF4 intensity as it crosses into Lewisville. Around the same time, 10 fatalities occurred at the Creekside mobile home park in SW Lewisville. The EF4 damage continued into a neighborhood near Business 121 and Round Grove Road as the tornado weakened slightly to an EF3, which then destroys businesses along the I-35E corridor. Crossing into northernmost Carrollton, the tornado continued to produce EF3 damage in the neighborhoods of Indian Creek and Northwest Carrollton before weakening further into an EF2. The tornado then left Carrollton, and continued to produce EF2 damage in the Castle Hills neighborhood, before roping out and lifting near Parker Road and Josey Lane. This was the fourth-deadliest tornado of the day, after the New Albany, OH and Clarksburg, WV tornadoes. The supercell responsible for the Southlake tornado then quickly cycled, proceeding to drop an EF3 tornado in Frisco and McKinney.